In another example of serving the nation, a total of 96 per cent of taxpayers in Singapore filed their tax returns on time this year.
Releasing a press statement on April 24, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) said, “This year, 96 per cent of taxpayers filed their tax returns on time, maintaining the record high set last year. 770,000 taxpayers, or more than 97% of those who filed, did so electronically. About 17% of taxpayers accessed myTax Portal on-the-go via smartphones and tablets, one of the tax filing enhancements offered since last year.”
Taxpayers used the improved myTax Portal that provides intuitive tax filing experience with new features, such as quick overview of tax filing status, summary of tax accounts and shortcuts to popular e-Services.
The release further stated, “This year, about 70,000 e-Filers received their finalised tax bill (Notice of Assessment) immediately upon filing their tax returns. With this newly piloted initiative, they were informed of their tax payable for the Year of Assessment (YA) immediately.
Speaking about the partnerships firms, IRAS said, “More than 5,000 partnerships filed their business income by end February this year. This enabled their partners to enjoy the convenience of having their partnership income pre-filled in their individual income tax returns by IRAS. This new service initiative benefitted more than 10,000 taxpayers and IRAS invites all business partnerships to file earlier next year.
About 1.75 million taxpayers whose employers participated in the Auto-Inclusion Scheme (AIS) for employment income enjoyed the convenience of pre-filled tax returns. This scheme will be extended to employers with 9 or more employees from 2018. IRAS welcomes employers with fewer than 9 employees to join the scheme so that their employees can benefit from the scheme as well.
IRAS also reminded taxpayers who have yet to file their returns to do so immediately, as there is a late filing penalty of up to SGD1,000. Assistance is available on IRAS’s website or at 1800-356-8300.
